Some people say we are what we eat, but I expect most people with aphasia think we are what we say. Words. Indicators of a reality we know and understand, and reflections of our dreams. Our identity is revealed by our words. And aphasia hides that identity. It takes more than I can imagine to retain self, or heal it. I am not a believer in a re-created identity, though some people talk of a “new normal” or incorporating a new identity post aphasia. I believe instead, that who we are is always there, and what we do is find a way out. Or in, and then out again.